Rain cannot diminish fun provided by Grouplove, Shiny Toy Guns

Saturday

Sep 29, 2012 at 3:37 PM

William Kerns

Friday's outdoor concert by Grouplove and Shiny Toy Guns was so exciting at the Lubbock Music Fest that one's first inclination was to wish the weather had been better, just so more fans might have seen it.

On the other hand, inclement weather in the Depot Entertainment District played a role all its own, with rainfall growing heavier as the time grew later, yet both bands refused to be driven off stage.

There may have been 200 or so music fans standing in front of the stage throughout the steady drizzle, waiting for Los Angeles band Shiny Toy Guns to begin playing at 8 p.m.

By the end of the band's second song, the audience had more than doubled in size, making one wonder where all these fans had been hiding.

But that was nothing.

No doubt calls and text messages flooded the airwaves as minutes ticked by. Despite heavier, colder precipitation moving in, more than approximately 1,000 fans also moved in ... filling the block in front of the Texas Avenue stage by the time Grouplove vocalists Hannah Hooper and Christian Zucconi faced each other early in the show like two bulls.

Each pawed at the floor, throwing beads of water into the air behind them, before spinning back to their respective microphones.

On this night, that might as well have been the band's own rain dance, as all five musicians made certain to inform fans that they liked the rain.

What's more, Grouplove, like Shiny Toy Guns, appreciated any fans who would come out and wait in the rain for them to play.

The end result was a pair of powerful performances, although Grouplove's work came across somewhat more polished and perfected.

True, guitarist Sean Gadd was reminded that "Don't Say Oh Well" would follow "Lovely Cup" on this night. And Hooper played it by ear when carefully climbing onto Ryan Rabin's drum kit while the percussionist put on a show with one drum at center stage.

So much for improvisation.

Grouplove's performance was that of a great, well-rehearsed band playing together as one.

Its songs were incredibly tight and, while the colored lights and strobe were a bonus gift of sort for fans, such songs as "Gold Coast," "Lovely Cup" and "Naked Kids" became downright fun thanks to the manner in which musicians worked off one another.

One does wonder where Hooper finds the energy for all of her dancing, bouncing and Celtic-like, choreographed kick-outs. But they never take away from wonderful vocals she shares and trades with Zucconi.

Even when she was surprised - "Hey, my keys are all wet" - she simply leaned in closer to the keyboard, refusing to miss a note.

Gadd very much enjoyed his own workout when handed the lead vocals for "Chloe," carrying them all across the stage in energetic fashion. Andrew Wessen mastered each guitar he was handed.

And Rabin, whose dad is musician Trevor Rabin, may have observed an array of professionals, but still laid claim to his own physical style.

The best part of Grouplove's show may have been the manner in which it explodes like a musical volcano when closing with a tune ironically called "Slow" - and then, when lured back to the stage, has no trouble returning to such Beatles-like, happy tunes as "Tongue-Tied" in the encore.

In other words, the group kept growing stronger.

Stardom cannot be too far around the corner for Grouplove.

Still, those arriving too late to see opener Shiny Toy Guns missed a whale of a show by a group that had no trouble putting the audience in a mood to rock.

Drummer Mikey Martin walked out with makeup reminiscent of Johnny Depp's Tonto, and his machine-like drumming complimented the synth of Jeremy Dawson.

Before becoming temporarily animated on bass, Dawson also asked if anyone hailed from Tulia or Kress, indicating that, as a child, he lived a number of years in West Texas.

(Bios state that he and guitarist/vocalist Chad Petree grew up together in Shawnee, Okla.)

Dawson later stopped the show to take photographs of the excited, supportive and damp Lubbock crowd.

Several songs' clever, three-minute arrangements spotlighted gorgeous male and female lead vocals from Petree and the rarely still Carah Faye Charnow.

Tunes such as "Ghost Town," "Ricochet" and "You Are the One" became increasingly memorable - but also loads of fun was STG's energetic cover of Depeche Mode's "Stripped."

Charnow no doubt hoped to receive more help from fans when she sang Peter Schilling's "Major Tom (Coming Home)," its lyrics a continuation of a character introduced in David Bowie's "Space Oddity."

Despite warning that her voice was about to give out, she delivered a sterling performance with minimal aid.

In fact, there is a good chance that a large number of fans left looking forward to the new Shiny Toy Guns album, arriving Oct. 22.

Meanwhile, no amount of rain could prevent the first major concert at the first Lubbock Music Fest from entertaining an appreciative, if smaller than originally expected, turnout.

To comment on this story:

william.kerns@lubbockonline.com

• 766-8712

leesha.faulkner@lubbockonline.com • 766-8747

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